Cardiff: The Welsh Assembly Government has awarded £450,000 to help develop a new recycling facility in Ebbw Vale, which will allow the sorting, cleaning and remanufacture of plastic bottles.
The new facility is expected to be opened by Plastic Sorting Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cleanstream Group Community Interest Company, in 2010.
The purpose-built site will be designed to the high BREEAM Excellent green standards and will incorporate rainwater harvesting for use for most of its process water. Also the heat and electricity used at the plant will be generated from a renewable fuel source.
Announcing the funding from The Regional Capital Access Fund (RCAF); Environment, Sustainability & Housing Minister Jane Davidson said:
“Research shows that recycling is often the thing people most recognise as being their main contribution towards improving the environment and I am delighted that we have been able to support this important new project – a first in Wales.
“Having clean, good quality recyclable material such as plastic bottles will be a key part in making our vision for a society that produces as little waste as possible. This new plant will also mean local jobs and investment.
“Our waste plan and green jobs Strategy aim to increase the number of new jobs created in Wales that are ‘green’. This is a great example of the Assembly Government providing specialist support in waste and resource management for Welsh businesses.”
The company was awarded £850,000 in 2007 to develop a facility to sort plastic bottles from Welsh household waste into different polymers, which were then sold on to plastics re-processors for re-manufactured. The polymer sorting equipment is already in operation at a site in Pontypool and this will supply the new colour-sorting and washing facility at Ebbw Vale with bales of containers of a single polymer type.
Plastic Sorting Limited has now been awarded the additional funding to procure hot-wash equipment, which will enable the bottles to be flaked and washed to the highest standards and made available to companies in Wales.
Project Manager Janet Rawlings commented:
“We are delighted with this further support which will allow us to purchase additional specialist equipment to produced a finished material of high quality for manufacturers in Wales and the UK. This type of equipment is already in regular use across Europe and we plan to install our plant at a temporary location to allow for operator training and fine tuning before the purpose – built facility at Ebbw Vale is available for occupation.
“Test batches of Welsh material transported to and washed at a similar plant in Eastern Europe have been trialled by a manufacturer in Wales and found to be ideal: we now have to replicate that process here.
“The new building will allow for both low running costs and a low carbon footprint as both rainwater and renewably-sourced heat and electricity are planned for its consumption. We also hope that it will provide the cornerstone of a wider green business park to be built around it leading to further employment.”